The company presents the ’emotional journey’ of a leisure trip and the six motivations driving Europeans to travel – for 23% of travelers, personal fulfillment is the main reason for exploring the world

The Group makes up to 8 billion predictions daily through Artificial Intelligence and introduces reinforced learning algorithms to predict and automatically react to traveller behaviour on the go

Barcelona, ​​September 17, 2018.- As part of an initiative called The Meaningful Journey, eDreams ODIGEO, the largest online travel company in Europe, has identified the emotional motivations behind the behaviours and decisions of Europeans when they travel. The analysis highlights six groups and 15 emotions which travellers experience during each journey, from the inspiration phase to when they return home from their trip.

The findings of The Meaningful Journey study, the first of its kind in Europe, were presented to an international audience at an event hosted at eDreams ODIGEO’s Barcelona office. It included live demonstrations of the latest technologies the company is using to understand the needs of travellers and offer truly personalised travel experiences.

Motivations and the reasons for travel

In the world of travel, motivations explain why travellers decide to discover a new place as well as the way they feel before, during and after their trip experience. Although each traveller is unique and motivations vary based on the type of trip taken – long holidays versus weekend breaks – eDreams ODIGEO has identified the key motivations affecting most trips which have been grouped into six major categories: Pleasure-seeking (23%), Personal Connection (23%), Sense of Belonging (14%), Uniqueness (15%), Chill and Relax (13%) and Control and Discipline (12%).

Looking at geographical trends, southern European nations (Italy, Spain and Portugal) are the most motivated by Pleasure-seeking (26%, 24% and 23%, respectively), while northern European countries such as Sweden (32%) and France (26%) look for Personal Connection. Likewise, the group motivated by Uniqueness is the most common across Mediterranean countries than in other parts of Europe.

Technology to understand and solve traveller needs

At the event the company also revealed the technologies it uses to understand and solve traveller needs, announcing its latest developments in Artificial Intelligence, a strategic area for the business. Through its algorithmic analysis of aggregated and anonymised data, eDreams ODIGEO now makes more than 8 billion daily predictions on its system, which anticipates what travellers want to see in search results. Thanks to machine learning, the company has reduced the amount of time it takes to show flight results to a customer by up to 88%. Over one third of the company’s customers carry out more than a single travel search, and in most cases this is to test different dates to find the best prices. Thanks to machine learning, eDreams ODIGEO now understands this type of search patterns in real time, and with over 80% accuracy it can anticipate and offer alternative results even before a customer has made the request.

The company has also introduced cutting-edge reinforced Learning algorithms, similar to the ones that power autonomous cars, which allows the machine to learn by itself and automatically adapt to changing environments. This type of algorithm helps eDreams ODIGEO accelerate its tests and the launch of new products and services. The 18.5 million customers who search and book through its brands – eDreams, Opodo, GO Voyages, Travellink or Liligo – have access to a more personalised experience that offers them what they need, when they need it, saving consumers both time and money.

As explained by Dana Dunne, CEO of eDreams ODIGEO, “Technology is key to understanding travellers, and as we have found it is crucial to look not only at functional but emotional triggers to truly grasp what makes a journey meaningful to each individual. By conducting this research and improving our understanding of traveller motivations through Artificial Intelligence and User Experience, we can continue to hone and improve our offering to ensure we provide our customers with a truly personalised travel experience, and one that empowers them to see more of the world.”

(*) Detailed information on the study of travel motivations, the emotional journey of travel, the technologies used to understand travellers are all available in the dedicated microsite:www.themeaningfuljourney.com

About eDreams ODIGEO

eDreams ODIGEO is one of the world’s largest online travel companies and one of the largest European e-commerce businesses. Under its four leading online travel agency brands – eDreams, GO Voyages, Opodo, Travellink, and the metasearch engine Liligo – it offers the best deals on regular flights, low-cost airlines, hotels, cruises, car rental, dynamic packages, holiday packages and travel insurance to make travel easier, more accessible, and better value for the more than 18.5 million customers it serves across 43 markets. eDreams ODIGEO is listed in the Spanish Stock Market.

[1] Market research conducted by IPSOS for eDreams ODIGEO in Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Sweden with 3,681 people, representatives of the European population aged 18-65 and both sexes, who have traveled at least once in the last two years, excluding corporate trips and second homes.